A632.8.3.RB - Reflections on the Cynefin Framework

It is extremely important that decision makers realize their decisions are made through the four different contexts mentioned in the article by Snowden and Boone (2007).  As Snowden mentions, each decision context is a place of existence which the manager resides in while making their decisions (2002).  The Cynefin Framework outlines the 4 different contexts from which most decisions are made: Simple, Complicated, Complex, and Chaotic. 

Managers typically make most of their decisions using one of these four contexts.  Snowden warns us of the danger of getting too complacent and residing in only one of these zones and suggests that managers learn to adjust their decision style to fit the unique environment that exists for each situation (2002). 

The decisions that I make on a daily basis are usually in the Simple domain.  These decisions are characterized by repeating and consistent situations.  The results of each decision is known, and typically there is one right answer that exists.  One such decision that I make frequently in my current job is in the advising of students for the courses they are to take each term.  There is a set of required courses for the students to take, and a required number of hours the students must be enrolled for their financial aid requirements.  As those factors input the decision making process, we simply have to find the courses from the course offering list and apply them to their needs.  Each advisor on our campus makes these decisions for/with their students every term.  The danger of this is when we get entrained in our thinking (Snowden, 2002) and do not realize when our context shifts.  Things that cause this shift is when a student changes their major and we are advising for a major that is not typically our comfortable major.  The counselors for our college, do not realize why it takes me so long to advise students, but each student does have their own unique situation.  While I love the simple decisions, there is often complications that should be considered. 

A complicated decision is one that requires expert diagnosis.  As the advisor for my major, I often will get new advisees who have been advised in their previous semester by one of our general counselors when my program was full.  This adds complication to the mix as the Federal Aid program wants students to complete a two year degree in two years, which is very difficult to manage if a student is in one of those special situations.  In this case, it is important not to have analysis paralysis as there is often near infinite decisions which could give wide and varying results.  In this situation, I would follow a good practice of selecting the best courses for the student to get them on a similar track with hope of still completing on time.

One way that the Cynefin Framework can help me make improved decisions is to realize that there is seldom a single right answer to situations when we step outside of the Simple Context.  I need to understand that I have the ability and obligation to adapt my frame of reference to the situation which the decision calls for.  Most of my decisions should probably and do probably come from the complicated or complex contexts rather than the simple or chaotic as I often feel they do. 

If you need to make decisions based on incomplete data you are likely in the complex zone.  With complex, there may be multiple right answers depending on how those missing pieces were supposed to fall.  It is important in this zone to make a best response from the information you currently have at your disposal and wait for the resultant information of that decision to influence future choices.

The Cynefin Framework makes our decision-making better by: 1) Making us aware of the context with which we make our decisions.  Knowing that being in the wrong context can cause us to make wrong decisions is important.  2) The framework gives us knowledge about the complexity and helps us understand how complex decisions need to be made.  3) It gives us a set of steps on how we should make our decisions when we recognize which context we are in.  4) The framework gives us insight into what our level of responsibility is within each framework and how we should approach these tasks. and finally 5) the framework gives us a set of tools for dealing with each context, and where to seek additional information.

As I move forward in my career, I look forward to tackling future decisions using the Cynefin framework.  This approach has given me a new set of tools which has shed light on my frustrations of the past, and gives calm to handling future situations using this method.

References:

Snowden, D.J (2002). Complex acts of knowing: Paradox and descriptive self-awareness. Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 6 Iss: 2 pp. 100-111. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13673270210424639 (Links to an external site.)

Snowden, D.J., and Boone, M.E. (2007). A leader’s framework for decision making. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2007/11/a-leaders-framework-for-decision-making.